Five-time Olympian diagnosed with blood clots

PHILADELPHIA – Kimmo Timonen planned to play his 16th NHL season and his eighth in Philadelphia when he extended his contract with the Flyers. This week the 39-year-old defenceman suffered a setback when he was hospitalized in Finland on Monday.

Timonen was diagnosed with blood clots not for the first time. He already missed games in the 2008 Stanley Cup playoffs when blood clots were found in his foot. But this time it’s more serious as they were found not only in his lower right leg but also in both lungs.

“Kimmo is doing well. He’s in the hospital and resting,” Flyers GM Ron Hextall said in a video on the Flyers website. “We were in contact during the off-season and he was very hungry to play. Whether this affects it or not I don’t know. He’s going to be out for a while. We don’t have a definitive time period.”

The Finnish defenceman is expected to leave hospital today but won’t be able to travel for the next two or three weeks. He will then return to Philadelphia where he will be further examined to clarify whether and when he will be able to play.

The Kuopio native played 1,092 games in the NHL. He represented Finland in five Olympic Winter Games winning one silver and three bronze medals, most recently in Sochi 2014. He also played in seven IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships and was European club champion with TPS Turku in 1997.